Photos: SAFTI FIRST
Project: Ridgewood High School
Location: Norridge, Ill.
Architect: DLA Architects
Glazier: Lake Shore Glass
Products: SuperLite II-XL 60 and SuperLite II-XL 60 Satin Etch in GPX Framing
Ridgewood High School in Norridge, Ill., is a school that boasts fantastic facilities within a modest footprint. A short 10-minute drive from Chicago O’Hare airport, Ridgewood High is a good example of how urban schools must utilize space economically to create the largest possible and most effective learning, performance and sporting environments.
For a recent renovation of a stairwell and its connecting exit corridors, Ridgewood looked to DLA Architects for help with their daylighting and fire protection needs.
In order to meet the code requirements and maximize the daylight penetrating into the building, the architects decided to use fire rated glass in the one-hour exit corridor. Because the glazing exceeds 25% of the wall area, fire resistive glass and framing assemblies rated equal to the wall had to be used.
The design team specified SuperLite II-XL 60 in GPX Framing to create transparent wall systems that feature superior optical clarity from the glass and clean, storefront-like appearance from the framing, while providing safe egress to occupants and visual access for fire fighters in the event of a fire. As Ridgewood lies under the approach path into O’Hare airport, the high STC ratings provided by SuperLite II-XL 60 proved to be an added benefit.
Ridgewood High School had other design requirements that SAFTI FIRST was able to meet. Part of the renovation included a private office for security personnel, and Ridgewood wanted increased privacy for this location while maintaining the natural daylighting aspects and maximum fire protection featured throughout the school.
To meet these requirements, SAFTI FIRST supplied SuperLite II-XL 60 with a Satin Etch. SuperLite II-XL can be easily customized to include various decorative make-ups as well as added protection against forced entry, bullets, blast and hurricane, and UV. As seen in the accompanying project photo, the security office at Ridgewood also features a segmented application of the GPX Framing.
Typical of school renovations, this phase of Ridgewood’s renovation had to be completed while students were on vacation. SAFTI FIRST “was very assistive in the design, schedule and shipping to keep this tight summer project on schedule,” says Greg Crider of Lake Shore Glass, the company hired to install the fire rated system.
The finish used on the GPX Framing cohesively ties together other black accents in the flooring, skirting, and other areas that create a thematic look throughout the interiors of various buildings at Ridgewood High School. The final result is a renovation that improves the safety and security of all building occupants, providing enhanced privacy where required while also maximizing overall daylight.
Related Stories
| May 11, 2012
AIA launches education and training portal
New portal to host Contract Documents training, education resources in one convenient place.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 7 When Modern Becomes Historic: Preserving the Modernist Building Envelope
This AIA CES Discovery course explores the special reconstruction questions posed by Modern-era buildings.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 6 Energy Codes + Reconstructed Buildings: 2012 and Beyond
Our experts analyze the next generation of energy and green building codes and how they impact reconstruction.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 5 LEED-EB and Green Globes CIEB: Rating Sustainable Reconstruction
Certification for existing buildings under these two rating programs has overtaken that for new construction.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 4 Business Case for High-Performance Reconstructed Buildings
Five reconstruction projects in one city make a bottom-line case for reconstruction across the country.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 3 How Building Technologies Contribute to Reconstruction Advances
Building Teams are employing a wide variety of components and systems in their reconstruction projects.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 2 Exemplary High-Performance Reconstruction Projects
Several case studies show how to successfully renovate existing structures into high-performance buildings.
| May 9, 2012
Chapter 1 Reconstruction: ‘The 99% Solution’ for Energy Savings in Buildings
As a share of total construction activity reconstruction has been on the rise in the U.S. and Canada in the last few years, which creates a golden opportunity for extensive energy savings.
| May 9, 2012
International green building speaker to keynote Australia’s largest building systems trade show
Green building, sustainability consultant, green building book author Jerry Yudelson will be the keynote speaker at the Air-Conditioning, Refrigeration and Building Systems (ARBS) conference in Melbourne, Australia.
| May 9, 2012
Tishman delivers Revel six weeks early
Revel stands more than 730 feet tall, consists of over 6.3 milliont--sf of space, and is enclosed by 836,762-sf of glass.
